Its time to change the motors in my hella reliable 2000 Cavalier. the car has 190kms on it right now, it has probably hit the top speed governer just about as many times. The engine is lacking in performance lately and there is also a list of minor repairs that need to be made including a clutch. Thats why i have been thinking i should just ditch the engine and swap a newer salvaged motor into the car.
In saying that are there weaker 2.4L motors in the lineup because i have heard of people having non-stop problems with their vehicles. I have lucked out and all i have had to replace on this vehicle are in list from oldest to newest. battery2004(got suckered into a delco), window motor, brakes front and back, front wheel bearings, another battery(2006), then lastly power window switch. So i really lucked out no repairs were needed to the drivetrain.
I geuss my real question is what year of motor should i look for should i get another 2000 or even a 2005+ out of a cobalt ls? i wanted to ask the community this before i make a mistake and buy a lemon motor.
i plan to rebuild the top end of the motor a bit also P/P everything and add a gmpp s/c. Are there anymore tips you guys can give me or do i just see if i luck out again and get a motor that wasnt built on a friday??
thanks guys i appreciate it. if you could tell me the prices you guys have paid so i have some more info about prices to compare when i go engine shopping...
Dont think and drive... wheelies 4 life
I would get a 99-02 motor. Stay with a LD9 unless you want to do a motor swap. I am not sure what you mean by the cobalts. They have 2.2 ecotec motors in them. Read the 2.4 Twin cam post a few down. It will help.
From you post.. I do not mean to be mean... but i would not try to work on a motor if I was you. From your post it seems you need to DO a lot more research before you go anywhere or do anything. I know you have been here for a while, but from your post it seems you need a better knowledge base before you move any further.
I wish you the best of luck.
Also the 2.4 motors are becoming harder to come by these days.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
I would stick with a 2000+ 2.4. Sounds like you have had a good car. I'm not sure what 190kms is, but keep in mind even if you get a junkyard motor you will still need a clutch. I would not let a clutch be the reason for swapping a motor.
FU Tuning
Yes but he said a cobalt ls which has the 2.2 eco. The non-supercharged has a 2.4 eco. Both would require a swap of more than he probably wants to deal with. The 2.2 would be hella a lot easyer than the 2.4 eco.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
i really dont have the time to do the swap myself,(only have a week off at a time then im out of town again) there are quite a few small oil leaks on the engine and about half of the sensors are pooched (iac TPS and my 02 sensor on the header) all of which would cost me 500 to replace not to mention how much it would cost to do the R/R to take the tranny off and also the head to do the h/g.
Like i Said there was a query of small little repairs to be done.
its not that i havent done my research i did not know that the 2.4L cobalt was another ecotec powerplant.
I have only drivin the cobalt ss and it really didnt impress me. like rather then trading up for under 4 grand i can have a 220hp car. and i do not want to go through with doing a frankenstein engine swap. i just want a stronger car when i rebuild it, sorta like a "phoenix rising from the ashes".
Unless i could walk to work i wouldnt even try to do this amount of work on my own could take 1 week could take 2 months??? u never know and my secondary vehicle only has 2 wheels and about as much horsepower as the dehabilitated daily driver. (01 R6
)
so i geuss nothings special about any certain vin number.. so ill just get a 00-02 with low clicks
thanks i geuss
Dont think and drive... wheelies 4 life
Keep in mind even if you get a junkyard motor you might not get all those sensors as well. All depends on the place it comes from. Still need a clutch. If you are just swapping in a nwer 2.4 motor this is less than a days worth of work (well for you maybe a full day). Just letting you know a new motor might not fix all of your issues.
FU Tuning
up here in canada/saskatchewan we have a government car insurance company which keeps the prices down on insurance and also all totalled off vehicle go through them before they go to the smaller "pick a part" type salvage yards lots of the cavaliers i have seen have less then 60k on them so i may be in for a deal of sorts or maybe a lemon... thats the main reason i made this post its like i got an engine that was made on monday***
all my freinds with 2.4L that drive them really slow have them break down soo often i was really wondering if there was a trick to picking out a strong motor like the one i have in the car right now.. or shoudl i just rebuild my already ""strong" but unpowerful motor? 225crank hp with a gm blower is my goal
Dont think and drive... wheelies 4 life
I have a nice low milage 2.4 in my garage, with around 65-70km on it. in manitoba. If you are looking to make 225 crank, then the 2.4 will easily do it. Important thing is to always check oil, let the car warm up, and understand the factory oil pump doesn't like spinning over 6000rpm much. 1999.5+ have a little bit of a different head design and I believe this fixed the head cracking issue in ultra cold climates too.
HP Tuners | Garrett T3/T04B | 2.5" Charge Pipes | 2.5" Downpipe | 650 Injectors | HO Manifold | Addco front/rear | Motor Mounts | HKS SSQV | Spec stage 3 | AEM UEGO Wideband | Team Green LSD | FMIC | 2.3 cams | 2.3 oil pump swap | 280WHP | Now ECOTECED
I just put a GM SC on my 115000 mile motor. Now I may be tempting fate but I figured that it would break at some point and I would have to rebuild/replace anyway so why not have a little fun.
If it was me (and it will be sooner or later) I would find a JY motor and just rebuild it as strong as you want. And you should know that boost is very addicting. 3000 miles and I am already saying it could use more HP.
But the header and intake and cams and exhaust are all coming and will also be bolted on until it breaks.
And when it does break I will be forced to drive my garage queen until it's done.
Labrat
The Car Isnt Going To Do the 1/4 mile in 13 seconds anytime soon i have a bike that if drivin right will run the 1/4 in 12 seconds soo im not going to be going too hardcore into modifications... i just dont want to trade the car in to get a new car thats going to be a 15 thousand dollar difference in price even after the engine was rebuilt and supercharged. right now all im doing is commuting to edmonton once a week so its pretty good on the car and the 2.4L has always had enough power to pass and resume highway driving at 130 k/m. and my situation is that i am goin to school next fall so im saving up all theese big bux im making right now...
How much for your 2.4L ill keep it in mind when im looking for motors
and thanks for the info
Dont think and drive... wheelies 4 life
